The Priestess of Rodona 85 Chapter 85

"Oh, that was a good one I haven't heard that one before. I have to remember it later. Now it's my turn to share." The old farmer said after hearing Jaana's story about the beast tide that happened in Jaridge.

"I heard this one when I was just a weeny little lad.

The story tells that the vast desert that we own now mostly was once a flourishing kingdom.

It was a significant trade kingdom with a benevolent king that accepted every religion and race there, and everyone was living happily." The old farmer started the story in a somber and solemn tone. 

Then he continued carefully, "But then an enormous shadow covered the kingdom, ravens started to flock around the city, and everyone believed that it was the mark of death. However, it was a sign that the holy maiden for Rodona had been born, and suddenly, the city was flooded by the higher-ups from her church."

"No one knows who was the holy maiden. Is she human, elf, or any other race? No one can say as there wasn't any detail regarding this. She was only known to have a silver-toned skin, violet eyes, and a night-black hair."

"She didn't have any parents, and she was just an orphan from the streets, but now she suddenly was pulled to the church. The believers of Rodona built their very first church in that city just for her."

"Otherwise, they were traveling across the countries, healing people and giving them their last rites while educating those in need at the poorer villages. However, that time they had built a headquarters where they raised this holy child."

"The child grew among the priests and priestess receiving education from them. She was a prodigy. As she learned everything, this made the other gods jealous. So they finally got enough of Rodona roping their followers, and their greed for her powers grew more and more when each day passed."

"So when Rodona asked her closest friends the god of light and shadows to guard her while she started the process on growing to be a greater god, they betrayed her and attacked her in the middle of the evolution."

The old farmer continued his story, "But she escaped with her last strengths only to see the city being burnt. Her people being mercilessly slaughtered as their goal was to stop the holy maiden from growing and become a lesser god. She gave a command to take the holy maiden and hide her out somewhere for hiding."

"But after the holy maiden was gone from the city, everything in the city started to die slowly. There were suddenly diseases going around, and the crop and animals were dying, and they blamed Rodona from it, saying she was an evil goddess who cursed them."

"Slowly, the desert started to spread its sands, and the city slowly was forgotten. This is how the story tells it. For what happened to the holy maiden after, there is another story I heard when I was a little child." The farmer said and took a pipe out before lighting it and started to smoke before continuing.

"They say that everywhere they went, they were not accepted anymore as now the once holy turned into the image of evil. They started to blame Rodona and her followers for everything. That is the case when someone was sick, it just has to be the work of Rodona. If someone crops failed or there was a flood, it had to be Rodona."

"So her followers, they were hunted down and killed. They especially said that the holy maiden was actually a demon manifested to the earth or how else someone could explain her rapid growth."

"Every city and village had closed their doors to her, and she couldn't go anywhere as her features were too stunning. However, they say that a simple woodcutter had found her in the middle of the forest surrounded by some of the most loyal followers."

"The woodcutter then offered a place to stay for them. They say that the man and the holy maiden fell in love eventually, and her features were gone when she got pregnant. The followers started a simple village around the woodcutters and their holy maiden's house."

"But after a long period of peace they were found out, and the village was attacked. No one knows what happened to the holy maiden after that." The farmer puffed his pipe, and then he said. "You owe me now two stories." 

However, Levin and Jaana just kept silent as they thought that Elvire looked just like the story's holy maiden.

They were thinking, could it just be a coincidence or not? Are the details of the stories that seemed to coincidently like Elvire's features were exactly the same? So could she be the holy maiden?

"If you don't have any other stories to tell, just say I won't be disappointed." The farmer stopped their thoughts.

Levin said, "My wife just shared a story, so now it is my turn."

Chapter end